Anthracyclines are a class of antibiotics that are commonly used cancer chemotherapeutic agents. These are broad spectrum agents and they are used to treat a number of cancers including leukemias, lymphomas, breast cancer, uterine cancer, ovarian cancer, and lung cancer. Anthracyclines are effective cancer chemotherapeutics, however, their full potential usefulness is limited by an induced cardiotoxicity. The cardiotoxicity is related to a patient's cumulative lifetime dose of the agents, which is carefully monitored, with treatment being stopped upon reaching the maximum cumulative dose. Accordingly, the usefulness of anthracyclines would be extended if associated cardiotoxicity could be prevented or delayed. Moreover, despite these precautions, a number of patients experience cardiac damage following treatment with anthracyclines. Therefore, there is a need for compositions and methods of preventing or treating anthracycline induced cardiotoxicity.